Everything about Interstate 70 totally explained
Interstate 70 (abbreviated
I-70) is an
interstate highway in the
United States that runs from
Interstate 15 near
Cove Fort, Utah, to a
Park and Ride in
Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway Project started in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of
U.S. Route 40 (and also the old
National Road) east of the
Rocky Mountains. West of the Rockies, the route of I-70 was cobbled together from a variety of sources.
The construction of I-70 in Colorado and Utah is considered an engineering marvel where the route passes through the
Eisenhower Tunnel,
Glenwood Canyon, and the
San Rafael Swell. The Eisenhower Tunnel is the highest point along the
Interstate highway system with an elevation of .
The sections of the interstate in Missouri and Kansas have laid claim to be the first interstate in the United States. The final piece of Interstate 70 was opened to traffic at
Glenwood Canyon in 1992. Most people considered this to be the last piece of the Interstate Highway System as originally planned to be opened.
Route description
Entering from Utah, I-70 descends into the Grand Valley where it meets the
Colorado River, which provides its path up the
western slope of the
Rocky Mountains. Here I-70 serves the
Grand Junction metro area before traversing more mountainous terrain. It passes through the 15 mile (24 km) section of I-70 through
Glenwood Canyon, which was the last section of I-70 to be completed. This stretch was completed in 1992 and was an
engineering marvel due to the extremely difficult terrain and narrow space in the
canyon, which requires corners that are sharper than normal
Interstate standards. Construction was delayed for many years due to environmental concerns. The difficulties in building the road in the canyon were compounded by the fact that a railroad occupied the south bank and many temporary construction projects took place to keep
U.S. Route 6 open, at the time the only east-west road in the area. Much of the highway is elevated above the
Colorado River. The speed limit in this section is 50 mph (80 km/h) due to the limited sight distance and sharper corners. Great care was taken to not destroy the local ecosystem with the building of the road. All rest areas through this stretch use reclaimed water.
The
Eisenhower Tunnel, the highest vehicular tunnel in the world and the longest tunnel built under the Interstate program, passes through the
Continental Divide. Because of the Eisenhower Tunnel's existence, I-70 is one of few roads connecting ski resorts such as
Keystone and
Aspen with
Denver and it's more likely to be open than alternative roads. After traversing the mountainous terrain, I-70 goes through
Denver and intersects
Interstate 25. Leaving Denver, I-70 traverses through wide plains through east central Colorado before exiting into Kansas.
A section of the highway is displayed in the video game
Syphon Filter 2 as an escape route for the protagonist.
Bicyclists are permitted to use the shoulder lane of I-70 in portions of Colorado; this is one of the few sections of Interstate Highway where non-motorized vehicles are permitted to use the road.
When leaving the Rocky Mountains, the Denver skyline can be seen on a clear day. This can fool truckers and other unsuspecting drivers because there's still over of steep grade road before reaching the city. A series of signs warn truckers of the steep grade.
Kansas
Coming from Colorado, I-70 enters flat plains in Kansas. This portion of I-70 was the first segment to start being paved and to be completed in the interstate system. It is given the nickname "Main Street of Kansas" as the interstate extends from the Western border to the Eastern border covering and passing through most of the state's principal cities in the process.
In
Salina, I-70 intersects with
I-135, the longest "spur" route in the Interstate system, forming the latter's northern terminus.
In
Topeka, I-70 intersects
I-470, twice. At the eastern intersection, the
Kansas Turnpike merges, making I-70 into a
toll road. This is one of only two sections of I-70 that are tolled. (The other is part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.) I-70 carries this designation from Topeka to
Bonner Springs, the eastern terminus of the turnpike. There is also a third child route in Topeka, I-335, which runs from I-470 south to meet up with I-35 in the Flint Hills town of Emporia. Just past the Bonner Springs Toll Plaza I-70 crosses I-435 for the first time, which allows travelers to bypass the downtown traffic via I-435, which encircles the Kansas City metropolitan area. Further down the highway in Kansas City, Kansas, approximately before the 18th Street Expressway, I-70 is intersected again by another child route. This route, I-635, runs from I-35 at its southern terminus up to I-29, just about across the Missouri river, at its northern terminus. From I-635 to just past the 7th Street (US 169) exit, I-70 runs adjacent to the second largest rail yard in the United States (only the Chicago rail yard is larger). Here
I-670 (also designated "Alternate 70" on some signs) diverges, providing a more direct route that rejoins I-70 proper a few miles east in Missouri. The highway passes over the former stockyards and rail yard when it crosses the
Kansas River on the Lewis & Clark Viaduct into downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
Missouri
After crossing the Lewis & Clark Viaduct, I-70 enters Missouri. It encounters a loop of freeways, called the
Alphabet Loop, which contains I-70 as well as
I-35,
I-670,
U.S. 24,
U.S. 40,
U.S. 71, and
U.S. 169. In the southern part of this loop, I-670 cuts directly through the downtown while I-70 bypasses the taller buildings a few blocks north near the Missouri River. Westbound
I-670 is also designated Alternate I-70 making this the only permanent "alternate" interstate in the country. Most of the interstates in this loop are in their second mile, so all exits (no matter the which interstate carries the road) are numbered 2 and suffixed with every letter of the alphabet except I, O and Z.
The section of I-70 in
Downtown Kansas City is approximately the southern city limits of "City of Kansas" when it was incorporated in 1853. The first two auto bridges in Missouri mark the city's original boundaries with the
Broadway Bridge (Kansas City) (
U.S. Route 169) being the west boundary while the
Heart of America Bridge (
Route 9) is the east boundary. Another intersection of note is the second traverse of
I-435. This is primarily notable because it immediately precedes the
Truman Sports Complex (home of both
Arrowhead Stadium and
Kauffman Stadium) and also because the entrance ramps from
I-435 northbound onto I-70 eastbound also serve as the exit ramps from I-70 into the Truman Sports Complex parking lots. This section of the Interstate is marked as the "
George Brett Super Highway", named after the
Kansas City Royals third baseman who played the entirety of his career (1977-1993) at "The K". The last interstate intersection in the immediate Kansas City metro area is with
I-470 in
Independence.
After passing Kansas City, I-70 traverses the length of Missouri, west to east. It passes through the largest city between Kansas City and St. Louis,
Columbia, which is about halfway between the two major cities, and the home of the
University of Missouri. The terrain is rolling with some hills and bluffs near rivers. I-70 also crosses the
Missouri River twice (as did the original US 40)--at
Rocheport, about west of Columbia, and at
St. Charles, about northwest of St. Louis. Most of the highway on this stretch is four-lane. Various proposals have been made to widen it (at an estimated cost of $3.5 billion) including turning it into a toll road. I-70 eventually gets into the St. Louis metro area and
U.S. Route 40 splits to the south, along with
U.S. Route 61, which doesn't have a
concurrency with I-70. The intersecting road will be upgraded to
Interstate standards because of the upgrade to
Interstate 64. After this
interchange, I-70 intersects two child routes,
I-270 and
I-170. I-70 then heads into the city limits of St. Louis, designated "The
Mark McGwire Highway" after the Cardinals former first baseman (1997-2001). It continues south to intersect with
I-64,
U.S. 40, and
I-55, which then become concurrent as they head east to cross the
Mississippi River on the
Poplar Street Bridge.
The
1985 World Series between the
Kansas City Royals and
St. Louis Cardinals was nicknamed the "I-70 Series" because St. Louis and Kansas City are the two endpoints of I-70 in
Missouri and the highway passed both
Busch Stadium and
Royals Stadium.
Illinois
After crossing the
Poplar Street Bridge, I-64 splits off, while I-55 and I-70 stay concurrent. When they intersect I-270, I-55 stays on its own pavement using the mileposts from the Poplar Street Bridge, while I-70 heads east on I-270's pavement using I-270's mileposts. So when I-55/70 intersects I-270 from the southeast, the
exit numbers would be 20 A/B, whereas if I-70 intersects I-55/270 from the east, it would be exits 15 A/B.
I-70 doesn't pass through any major cities in Illinois. It does run
concurrent with
Interstate 57 around
Effingham. I-70 then proceeds east towards Indiana.
Indiana
I-70 enters Indiana west of
Terre Haute. The only major city is
Indianapolis.
Interstate 65 can be accessed from downtown, while the other Interstates in the city,
Interstate 74 and
69, must be accessed from
Interstate 465, the
beltway around the city. After passing through, it continues east through eastern Indiana before exiting into Ohio in
Richmond, with
U.S. Route 35.
Ohio
Interstate 70 enters
Ohio just east of
Richmond, Indiana. Immediately after crossing into Ohio, eastbound travelers are greeted by a unique teal-blue arch that spans the width of the freeway, with a "Welcome to Ohio" sign above the eastbound lanes. A sign thanking travelers for visiting Ohio is mounted on the other side of the arch for westbound travelers. Continuing eastbound, I-70 intersects
Interstate 75 north of
Dayton, followed by
I-675 on the east side of Dayton.
Springfield is the next city, site of
Buck Creek State Park.
I-70 then encounters the largest city in Ohio,
Columbus. Columbus is bounded by
I-270, and is roughly centered around the intersection of I-70 and
Interstate 71, which share the same asphalt through a notoriously congested stretch locally known as the "South Innerbelt" or, more commonly, "The Split." The Split will be reconstructed within the next few years.
Interstate 670 connects
Port Columbus International Airport with I-270, I-71, and I-70. East of Columbus, I-70 passes through
Zanesville and on to
Cambridge, where it intersects
Interstate 77. Continuing on towards
West Virginia, I-70 intersects
Interstate 470 just east of
St. Clairsville. I-470 is primarily used for through traffic, as it's actually shorter to travel I-470 through Wheeling than to continue on I-70.
In March 1995, a hole (from a former coal mine) opened up on the eastbound side of I-70 in Guernsey County near Old Washington, causing traffic to be rerouted onto US 40 between Old Washington and Cambridge for several months.
West Virginia
The portion of I-70 in West Virginia crosses the
Ohio River at
Wheeling and runs through the
Wheeling Tunnel. I-70 has only one through lane in each direction at the tunnel. A major interchange was planned but never completed on the east side of the Wheeling Tunnel. Upon merging with
I-470, I-70 goes uphill towards
Dallas Pike, West Virginia, This part of the road is called "Two Mile Hill", which is known locally for the many accidents at the bottom of the hill. I-70 has brought major development in
Ohio County, the only county the route passes through in West Virginia, in the past few years. On the north side of the highway a former strip mine is being developed into a retail area called "The Highlands". This stretch of Interstate 70 is the shortest I-70 is in any state, traveling only from the Ohio River to the Pennsylvania border.
Pennsylvania
Drivers on I-70 near
Breezewood, Pennsylvania have to leave the freeway and travel a few blocks on
US 30 past several traffic lights before returning to the freeway. This stretch of I-70 is one of the few
gaps on the Interstate Highway System.
The 38 miles (61 km) of I-70 between
Washington, Pennsylvania and
New Stanton, Pennsylvania is a
sub-standard section of the highway. This section of I-70 used to be
Pennsylvania Route 71. It is characterized by sharp curves, limited sight distance, narrow shoulders, and lack of merge lanes at interchanges. Traffic on clover leaf ramps must weave in the right through lane of traffic due to the lack of a third lane for entering and exiting traffic. Other on and off ramps effectively function as
RIRO, making for a nervewracking entrance if traffic is approaching. The speed limit on this stretch is 55 mph (90 km/h)
From New Stanton to Breezewood, I-70 overlaps
I-76 and the
Pennsylvania Turnpike. This is one of two tolled sections of I-70 (the other being in Kansas, where the portion of the
Kansas Turnpike east of Topeka is signed I-70.)
I-70 also overlaps I-79 near
Washington, Pennsylvania for .
I-70 went through
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at one point; its original route has been incorporated into I-376, as well as parts of I-76, I-279 and
I-79.
Maryland
In
Maryland, Interstate 70 runs horizontally from the
Pennsylvania state line near
Hancock east across the central portion of the state towards
Baltimore, following the route of the
National Road, now known as
U.S. 40. It is the major east-west highway in the state, serving the cities of
Hagerstown and
Frederick and bypassing
Ellicott City; east of Frederick, the route was originally designated
Interstate 70N. The route serves
Washington D.C. via
Interstate 270, which was once designated
Interstate 70S. Uniquely, Interstate 70 indirectly serves a branch of the
Washington Metro at
Shady Grove via
Interstate 370, which only connects to Interstate 270.
I-70 was planned to end at
Interstate 95 in, but due to local opposition, it was only built to
Maryland Route 122 (see
History below). The pavement that was supposed to be part of the route to Baltimore is now a
Park and ride.
History
Besides being the first Interstate signed into law, other oddities happened with I-70 as well:
Western terminus
As first proposed, the western terminus of I-70 was
Denver, Colorado. Utah and Colorado pressured the federal government to extend the plans for I-70 farther west, arguing that a direct link between
Denver, Colorado and
Salt Lake City, Utah was vital for an effective highway system. The proposal was to follow what is now
U.S. Route 6 west and connect to
I-15 at
Spanish Fork, Utah. Federal planners (influenced by the military) agreed to extend the proposed route of I-70, but not to serve Salt Lake. The military wanted to better connect southern California with the North Eastern U.S. This led to I-70's constructed route through the San Rafael Swell and terminating at Cove Fort. Many motorists include I-70 as part of their cross-country drives between
New York City and
Los Angeles (which are accessible to I-70 via other interstates).
Eastern terminus
As a result of
freeway revolts in the Baltimore area, Interstate 70 wasn't completed east of
Maryland Route 122 to its planned terminus on
Interstate 95 within the city of Baltimore, and for all intents and purposes, ends at a four-way symmetrical stack interchange with
Interstate 695, the Baltimore Beltway.
Notoriety
The highway gave its name to the "I-70 Killer," a
serial killer who committed a string of murders within a few miles of it in several Midwestern states in the 1980s. No suspect has ever been apprehended despite the widespread publicity the murders have generated, including their being featured several times on the
television show
America's Most Wanted.
The
1985 World Series was a contest between the
St. Louis Cardinals and the
Kansas City Royals. As these cities are primarily connected by Interstate 70, this World Series was often referred to as the "I-70 Series" in the media.
Major intersections
Interstate 15 in Cove Fort, Utah
Interstate 76 in Arvada, Colorado
Interstate 25 in Denver, Colorado — the Mousetrap
Interstate 225 in Aurora, Colorado
Interstate 135 near Salina, Kansas
Interstate 435 near Bonner Springs, Kansas
Interstate 635 in central Kansas City, Kansas
Interstate 35 in Kansas City, Missouri (concurrent between exits 2A and 2H)
Interstate 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. I-29 Begins/Ends at this downtown interchange
Interstate 435 east of Kansas City, Missouri
Interstate 470 in Independence, Missouri
Interstate 44 in St. Louis, Missouri
Interstate 55 in St. Louis, Missouri. They stay joined until Troy, Illinois.
Interstate 64 in St. Louis, Missouri. They stay joined until East Saint Louis, Illinois.
Interstate 255 west of Collinsville, Illinois
Interstate 57 in Effingham, Illinois (concurrent for 6 miles (10 km))
Interstate 74/Interstate 465 on the west side of Indianapolis, Indiana
Interstate 65 in Indianapolis, Indiana (concurrent for 2 miles (3 km))
Interstate 465 on the east side of Indianapolis, Indiana
Interstate 75 in Dayton, Ohio
Interstate 675 between Springfield, Ohio and Dayton, Ohio
Interstate 71 in Columbus, Ohio (concurrent for 2 miles (3 km))
Interstate 77 in Cambridge, Ohio
Interstate 79 in Washington, Pennsylvania
Interstate 76 in New Stanton, Pennsylvania. They stay joined until Breezewood, Pennsylvania (approximately 88 miles (142 km)). While concurrent, they're part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike; thus, this is a tolled section of both Interstates.
Interstate 99 in Bedford, Pennsylvania
Interstate 68 in Hancock, Maryland
Interstate 81 in Hagerstown, Maryland
Interstate 695 near Baltimore, Maryland
Auxiliary routes
I-70 has one of the closest distances between two distinct child interstates with the same child interstate number. I-470 near Topeka, Kansas and I-470 on the east side of Kansas City, Missouri are approximately apart.
A breakdown about all of I-70's spur routes are below:
I-270 is a short connector between I-70 and I-25 in Denver, Colorado.
I-470 is a loop around the south side of Topeka, Kansas.
I-670 is an alternate route of I-70 in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri.
I-470 is a connector between I-70 and I-435 in southeastern Kansas City and Independence, Missouri.
I-170 is a connector between I-64 and I-270 in St. Louis County, Missouri.
I-270 loops around St. Louis city and county. It is supplemented by I-255 to the east.
I-270 is a beltway around Columbus, Ohio.
I-670 is a short connector between I-70 and I-270 in eastern Columbus that provides direct access to Port Columbus International Airport from downtown Columbus.
I-470 is a southern bypass around Wheeling, West Virginia.
I-270 is a spur to Washington, D.C.. It was formerly designated I-70S.
I-370 is a spur to Gaithersburg and Rockville, Maryland from I-270. It never connects to I-70.
I-170 was to have been a spur into downtown Baltimore, Maryland, but the short part that opened never connected to I-70 or to any other Interstate highway. It was decommissioned in 1989, and US 40 is the current designation for the freeway.Further Information
Get more info on 'Interstate 70'.
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